March 9, 2026 - 3:24pm - by

We love a good social media trend. 

What could be better than noticing a new trend or format in its early stages – especially one that fits perfectly with your brand – and jumping on it quickly, then seeing it take off and boost everything from your follower count to views and engagement?

That’s the high most of us marketers are chasing a lot of the time. We know we can’t hit that with every post, but it sure feels good when it works, and the numbers make us look even better. But is it worth it? 

I won’t leave you hanging here; the short answer is yes – but with some significant caveats.

Let’s look at some data, explore how and when to chase that trend for best results, and maybe even when to let the trend pass you by.

How to capture the moment

There are two main things to consider when deciding whether to jump on a social media trend: timing and fit.

Timing is crucial on several fronts. Most social media trends have a pretty short shelf life, and many users – especially your younger audience – respond negatively to brands posting old or “stale” trends. By the time you’ve noticed the trend, chances are good it’s already past the halfway point to becoming stale. Even if you have caught something fairly early, you’ve really only got a few days at most before your take on it feels too late or irrelevant.

There are some exceptions to this, especially with more niche and industry-specific trends, which tend to move more slowly and have a longer shelf life. And if your audience or follower base leans a little older, this can shift your window and give you a little more time as well.

Another reason timing matters is that you may have other time-sensitive content in the works or in your content schedule, so dropping everything to chase a trend might be a trade-off with more risk than reward. So, consider what it will take to make your trend-chasing post, as well as what you might be sacrificing to make that happen.

If you have caught a trend early enough and the timing feels good, the other thing to consider is fit: does this particular trend feel appropriate for your brand and your audience? 

It’s important to remember that while a given social media trend might be popular with certain groups and online communities – maybe even ones you belong to personally – that doesn’t mean it will be familiar or relevant to your brand’s followers. You should also consider your brand’s online personality and image, and whether a given trend would damage or take away from that in any meaningful way.

The potential benefits

The main argument in favour of chasing social media trends is that the algorithms – especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok – prioritize content that uses trending audio, hashtags and formats. They also value certain types of engagement more highly than others, especially shares – meaning if a user finds a post funny or relatable and sends it to a friend, they will reward you for it in the algorithm.

If you manage to make something that captures a trend well, at the right time and in the right way, you also have a much better chance of making it onto people’s “for you” and “discover” pages, and ultimately going viral. More than two-thirds of videos on TikTok are viewed from the “for you” feed (versus “following”), so breaking outside of your follower base is a huge benefit of going even slightly viral, and can often grow your follower count noticeably in a very short period.

The challenges and pitfalls

For all the benefits of posting a video or reel that goes viral, there is evidence that it’s getting harder to do, and that the results can sometimes be counterproductive.

After rapid growth in 2024, Instagram Reels saw a decline in overall reach and impressions last year (down by more than a third in 2025). A report last year from Sprout Social also found that one-third of consumers feel that brands jumping on social media trends is “embarassing,” and another quarter feel it’s only effective within 24 to 48 hours of a trend’s beginning.

Perhaps most significantly, research shows the longer-term effects of going viral on social media are neutral or even net-negative for many brands. Engagement tends to drop sharply within days of a viral post, often dipping below what it was beforehand, and despite an increased follower count, a viral post doesn’t seem to improve engagement for a brand at all. The researchers in this particular study suggest that, according to the data, consistent high-quality content over the long term is more likely to lead to stable growth and engagement.

My post went viral, now what?

When you have a post go viral, there are some things you can do to take better advantage of the moment and to mitigate some of the inevitable post-viral slump. 

Posting again shortly after the peak of a viral post is helpful, as well as prioritizing high-engagement types of content for a time. On Instagram, carousels have become one of the best post formats for engagement and algorithmic performance, so consider making your next post a carousel.

Another thing to do is adjust your expectations. Going viral is unpredictable, and despite your past success and best efforts, you may not do it again, or at least not right away. Many brands who gain followers with a viral post will also lose up to one-third of those new followers within a month. Recognize the data around your viral post to be an outlier, and continue working toward sustainable growth. 

We can help

If you haven’t heard by now, social media content and data are kind of our thing, and we’d love to help your brand maximize its online presence. If you need someone to help your brand build a strong and engaged following online, and maybe even make some viral content along the way, get in touch for a free discovery call today!